Expectations of Happiness (34 page)

The author wishes, above all, to acknowledge her debt to Miss Jane Austen, whose original work,
Sense and Sensibility
, provided the inspiration for this novel. Miss Austen's characters and values have been treated with understanding and respect and in the sincere hope that, by continuing their stories into the second decade of the nineteenth century, the pleasure they have brought many thousands of readers already will be further enhanced.

Thanks are due to her friends and family for their encouragement, to Ms Claudia Taylor, librarian, for assistance with research and editing, and to Deb Werksman, Susie Benton, and their team at Sourcebooks, whose enthusiasm and understanding has been invaluable.

Many thanks too, to all those readers of the Pemberley novels, whose appreciative letters and emails since the conclusion of that series have encouraged the author to take up her pen again.

Rebecca Ann Collins / February 2011www.rebeccaanncollins.com

A lifelong fan of Jane Austen, Rebecca Ann Collins first read
Pride and Prejudice
at the tender age of twelve. She fell in love with the characters and since then has devoted years of research and study to the life and works of her favorite author. As a teacher of literature and a librarian, she has gathered a wealth of information about Miss Austen and the period in which she lived and wrote, which became the basis of her books about the Pemberley families. The popularity of The Pemberley Chronicles series with Jane Austen fans has been her reward.

With a love of reading, music, art, and gardening, Ms. Collins claims she is very comfortable in the period about which she writes, and feels great empathy with the characters she portrays. While she enjoys the convenience of modern life, she finds much to admire in the values and world view of Jane Austen.